Three kids and miner save chapel from fire

Quick thinking and prompt action by three children and a 55-year-old miner saved a Fallin chapel from being engulfed by fire, the Observer of November, 1961, reported.

The three youngsters were 10-yearold Linda Davies and her brothers Willie, eight , and six-year-old Tom. Their parents, Mr and Mrs William Davies, lived at 35 Bandeath Road Fallin.

Miner Mr John Higgins, 14 Oak Drive, Fallin, was also caretaker of the Our Lady Star of the Sea, a small chapel made mostly of wood situated in Bandeath Road, close to the banks of the Forth.

It was early one Friday morning that young Willie was first to spot smoke coming from the building, which was about 30 yards from the family home .

He had left the house to play and saw flames through the window of the chapel.

Willie ran back into the house to tell big sister Linda and she promptly raced to the nearby home of Mr Higgins to raise the alarm.

He hurried to the building at the same time imploring Linda and her two brothers to fetch pails of water to douse the flames.

`I could hardly force my way in the door because of the smoke,” said Mr Higgins. “I could see the centre of the fire was in some panelling in the main chapel, next to the kitchen.”

Mr Higgins entered the burning building and threw water, fetched by the children, on to the flames.

He succeeded in bringing the fire under control, although badly hampered by smoke.

Mr Higgins then contacted Stirling Fire Brigade as he was worried the blaze would re-start in a smouldering part of the roof interior. Firefighters completely extinguished the blaze.

A section of panelling was burned through and there was damage to the organ which was not in use and stored in the kitchen. It was thought the fire may have started near an electric heater.

Normally there would have been no-one in the Davies’ house at the time of the fire. Mum Mary had a part-time morning job and Mr Davies worked as a welder, while the children would usually have been at school. However, the children were on holiday that day.

The Observer noted the family were not members of the Our Lady of the Star of the Sea Church, being part of the congregation of Fallin Parish Church.